Looking at the 2011 Chevrolet Impala

Most of the 2011 Chevrolet Impala stays the same. It remains one of two of Chevy’s biggest medium sized sedans. It can seat up to an approximate of 6 people. Impala has a couple of trim levels available, which are the LTZ, LS, and LT trim levels. Something new comes in for the 2011 model year, because the brand new FL trim level is also available, but is only available to fleet buyers. Equipped on the models with LS and LT trim levels are 211 hp V6 3.5 liter engines. The LZ trimmed Impalas, on the other hand, are powered by 3.9 liter V6 engines that can rack up as much as 230 hp. Both engine types, however, share the trait of being able to run on the ethanol-blended fuel, E85. There’s only one transmission available for all Impalas, and that’s the automatic 4-speed transmission. Safety features are available as well. You’ve got the traction control, ABS (short for antilock brake system), and airbags for both the curtain-side and front-side. The availability of leather upholstery depends on the trim level as well. It’s a standard feature on the Impalas with the LTZ trim level. On the other hand, it’s optional on those with the LT trim level. The same goes for the heated front seat feature: it’s a standard feature on the LTZ trimmed Impalas and, now new in the 2011 release, is optional for models with the LT trim level. Models of the Impala that had the LTZ and the LT trim levels were tested by experts and were given their respective ratings. So far, the results indicate that these models met the average expectations imposed on most medium cars just like the Impala. The average rating is 61.2, while the Impala models with the LTZ trim level got a 62 and those on the LT trim got a total score of 60. The conducted evaluation was a drive test which looked into 11 different criteria. The LTs scored mostly above 5, with the exception of the Details, Rear Room Comfort, and Cargo Room criteria, which were all graded with 4s. The same goes for the LTZs that were subjected to the test. While it seems that both fared equally, the LTZs seemed to have gotten slightly better ratings compared to the LTs in some aspects, which explains the 2-point margin between the models with different trim levels. Specifically, the LTZ scored a point higher than the LT in terms of acceleration, steering, handling and braking (one category), and ride quality. The LT, however, scored a point higher than the LTZ in terms of Fuel economy. No matter the difference, both tested trim levels have common best traits. Both scored the highest (7) in terms of Controls and Front Row Seating comfort.